Touch and the Enjoyment of Sculpture: Exploring the Appeal of Renaissance Statuettes

The Walters Art Museum

Combining science with art, this groundbreaking show explores the power of touch by exploring the connection between tactile stimuli and appreciation of European Renaissance art. If you’ve always been annoyed that you can’t touch the art in museums, this exhibition is for you. Visitors can hold and register their evaluations of replicas of “appealing” statuettes, as well as those assumed to be unappealing.

(credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking

Through Feb. 12, 2012

Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center

Hollywood legend Carrie Fisher’s one-woman show Wishful Drinking has had sold-out runs in theaters across the country and even had a successful engagement in Broadway’s Studio 54. Now it makes a stop at the Hippodrome Theatre, bringing the hilarious confessional to Baltimore audiences. Expect to laugh out loud as Fisher uses her signature wry wit to share tales of life in Hollywood.

The Sum of the Parts

Maryland Art Place

Amy Boon-McCreesh curates this show which features the work of contemporary artists Emily Barletta, Lauren Clay, Jerry Kaba and Nikki Painter. The theme focuses on repetitive processes as a way to create art that is grand and ambitious. In this multimedia exhibition, sculpture, installation and drawing are explored through processes such as knitting, cutting paper and mold-making.

(credit: Everyman Theatre/everymantheatre.org)

Fifty Words

Through Feb. 19, 2012

Everyman Theatre

Michael Weller’s two-character play Fifty Words explores the challenges of marriage and complicated relationships. Adam and Jan, a Brooklyn couple, attempt to enjoy a night alone while their 9-year-old son is on his first sleepover but a night of passion is derailed by a series of revelations. Directed by Donald Hicken, the play’s subject matter may be a bit too heavy for a date night, but watch it if you’re in the mood for a realistic, and sometimes haunting, look at modern-day marriage.

The Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Love Mozart? Then don’t miss BSO’s special event. Pianist Lise de la Salle makes her Baltimore Symphony Orchestra debut with one of Mozart’s most popular concertos, and James Gaffigan conducts orchestral masterworks by Brahms, Wagner and Richard Strauss. Catch one of the two dates this February. Performances are at the Strathmore and at the Meyerhoff.